Waiting in the Dark
by jen1490
Summary: Is it a curse to live forever? Maybe not, but it is a curse when the people Sasuke loved were forced to die for his eternal life. AU
1. Chapter 1

**note:** 06/14/2011 i present my first _Naruto_ fanfic, ta-da

. . .oh, and i don't own "Naruto" or any of it's characters. . .

* * *

><p><em>Two hundred years ago, the first sorta confession. . .<em>

The sun rose without it's usual cheeriness that day. It wasn't as warm or calm to him as it had been since his body allowed him to bask under it's glow. The light that spilled through the open hallway windows was cold and unappealing to him. The deep colors of the hanging tapestries and the radiant, clear marble walls turned dull gray in his eyes. Everything about the environment around him changed when he finally discovered what had been eating him up inside all this time. He finally understood the strange feeling in his chest that he loathed because it refused to let him sleep and eat in peace. Yet, against all natural instincts, he couldn't keep himself from seeking out the cause of that feeling.

He quietly made his way to the garden at the center of his home, making sure that he was not being watched by his brother or any of his uncle's men. He knew he would not cross paths with anyone so he wasn't worried. Everyone would be too busy with the war to notice the youngest prince escaping into the flowery garden where they kept _her _captive.

His mind instantly stilled at the thought of his family's prisoner and he could think of nothing else. The girl that his brother had stolen from the enemy so that his uncle could use her as some sort of leverage. She wasn't a princess or even a noble and at first he couldn't think of any reason why his uncle kept her alive. Besides her unusual beauty, there was nothing special about her.

He believed that until he had seen what she was capable of.

Only then did he understand why she was important to his uncle's plans. But none of that mattered to him. And, as he made his way through the final sun-soaked hallway, his heart began to sped up with anticipation. He could see the door that was always locked to keep their prisoner trapped. His hand trembled slightly as he pulled out a golden key from his pocket and fitted it perfectly into the golden lock.

When he opened the heavy door he was blinded momentarily by the brightness of the sun. The first thing he saw was pink blossoms then as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the familiar yellow flowers decorating the grass around the sakura tree. Finally his black eyes caught sight of the person he risked so much to see.

His breath got trapped in his throat.

She was seated at the base of the giant sakura tree, running her hands across the smooth petals of the yellow flowers. Her short pink hair glittered in the rays of light that had managed to sneak through the branches of the tree. The humble white cotton dress his mother had given the girl enhanced her image of innocence and made her resemble a dark-skinned angel.

He felt light-headed when he finally remembered to breathe. His low intake of breath alerted the girl of his presence and she turned her head toward him. When her jade-green eyes saw him, a wide smile formed on her lips. She stood up slowly and moved gracefully to him. He noticed with slight irritation that she still refused to wear the shoes he offered her. His annoyance lasted only for a moment then it was replaced by a strange knot in his stomach as the girl stopped in front of him.

"So the great Uchiha Sasuke decided to visit me again?" She tapped a slender finger against her chin. "How many days does that make? Ah yes, that would be fourteen days in a row that you have visited me."

The knot in his stomach was becoming incredibly uncomfortable. With all his will power, he forced his face and his voice to remain emotionless. "I am not visiting you. I just came to rest in my garden." He held her green eyes and was refusing to be the first to break eye contact. "Rest is necessary to be a productive leader."

He saw amusement spark in her eyes as she continued holding his intense gaze. "But for nearly half a month? I'm sure to be a productive leader, that person must be with his people. If I didn't know any better, I would question your reasons for coming here so frequently."

He watched her eyes sparkle with curiosity, waiting for his rebuttal. The knot melted away and he couldn't pay attention to their conversation anymore. She could believe whatever she wished. Right now, her extraordinary green eyes were more important. He studied every small golden speck in each of her deep pools of green. He was so engrossed in her eyes that he nearly missed her playful smirk.

"Is there something wrong with my appearance, Lord Uchiha?"

He quickly snapped his eyes away from her and began to walk toward the sakura tree. He fought with all his might the heat slowly creeping up his neck and threatening to give a pleasant pink color to his cheeks. When he reached the tree, he traced the ridges in the bark with a pale finger to avoid facing her in that vulnerable state. "Have the servants been treating you good?"

He heard her coming near him and stopping behind him. "You know very well nobody visits me besides you and Master Madara and occasionally Lord Itachi."

His fingers dug into the bark. "Don't call him 'master'. He does not own you."

"My existence is in his hands. Is he not my master then?"

He spin around to face her with his hands clenched tightly into fists. "Your life doesn't depend on that man." He took a dangerous step closer to her. Against his better judgment, he allowed his eyes to slowly travel down her smooth face, her long neck and to the soft curve of her bosom. "If there is anyone who has the most power over you, it is _me_." His dark gaze returned to her face and he was surprised to find her eyes sparkling and a smile adorning her lips.

"You are very unpredictable, Lord Uchiha. I wonder if it is youth that allows you to speak that way."

His hand reached out to touch her bare shoulder on it's own accord. He marveled at the smoothness of her dark skin. The contrast between his pale, almost sickly pale, skin against her healthy tanned skin never ceased to amaze him. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. And her beauty distracted him to the point where he let his guard down. The next words fell from his mouth before he could censor them. "Is that all I am to you? A child with little experience of this world?"

"No."

She place her small hand over the male hand on her shoulder. His heart suddenly increased it's speed. He didn't dare to hope but a part of himself couldn't help it. Her green eyes gazed downwards as she smiled.

"You are my _dearest_ friend."

* * *

><p><em>Present. . .<em>

"So you were here all along, Sasuke."

The raven-haired young man sitting near the edge of a shallow pond didn't react to his new companion. He only stared back at his own painfully beautiful reflection in the clear water. He hadn't aged a single day for two centuries. His pale complexion was still as young and as flawless as it had ever been. There were no wrinkles around his eyes like there had been around his brother's eyes. His hair was still the same jet-black that turned blue when he tilted his head the right way. His body was hard and muscled. His joints didn't ache the way that they should as time went by.

_He was abnormal_.

He was frozen in time like a rock on the road that refused to budge. Never moving forward, never moving backward. It was as if someone had taken a picture of him but instead of a paper capturing his eternal moment, his body _become_ that eternal moment.

"Sasuke?"

He finally turned to the person addressing him. It was his strategist and close friend, an eighteen-year-old Shikamaru Nara. "What is it?"

The young man didn't flinch from the coldness in the Uchiha's voice. "We're coming up to the last known location of the demon."

Sasuke turned back to his reflection. "Alright, you know what to do, Nara."

Shikamaru released a tired sigh. "You know that's not going to be enough. We either need more men or he needs to see you."

He saw Shikamaru's bored expression reflected on the pond's surface. He would have been offended if he didn't personally know the boy. "I'll go if it's necessary." And he ended their conversation with that sentence, choosing to ignore the second tired sigh coming from Shikamaru. He heard the Nara mumble 'troublesome' as he walked away.

When he was sure the boy was out of sight, Sasuke bent over the pond's surface and touched it with his index finger. His reflection blurred for an instant, destroying that beautiful perfection he had been studying. After a few moments, the water calmed and he reflection was still the same: same pale skin, same piercing, dull black eyes, same expressionless face.

Was he going to stay this way forever?

_It was because of her, because of Sakura_. . .

A crushing feeling invaded his stomach and he angrily slapped the water's surface.

With all the time that passes, the pain just wouldn't go away.

He leaned back, supporting himself on his hands, and with his eyes closed, he let his head fall backwards. He forced himself to calm down and allowed his repressed breath to escape through his mouth.

To anyone that didn't know him, he would appear to be a handsome man in his late teens early twenties at the prime of his life, but he didn't feel anything that normal youths felt. All that was inside him, besides the gaping black hole in his borrowed heart, was tiredness. Tired of the daily stress of traveling, tired of the constant looks he received from both men and women, tired of the emptiness in his eyes, tired of life.

And he couldn't end it. Even acting out the most creative ways for suicide could not end his life. It was impossible for him to die.

And it was because of Sakura.

_Like the years of the oldest tree, that long will the heart beat_. . .

* * *

><p><em>as always, excuse any mistakes<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**note: **10/24/2012 i have returned to this and will finish. i realized i should have gone in order regarding the past sequences.

* * *

><p><em>Around two hundred years ago, the first meeting and mother. . .<em>

Who is this girl with strange pink hair? What is she doing in one of mother's dresses?

He stared at the female in front of him.

A strange girl with dark skin, far tanner than his own, with short pink hair, nearly in a boy cut. And she was short, very short.

A frown settled in his handsome features. This girl didn't belong here.

"Uncle, what's this?" He pointed to the girl. "I believed we weren't taking prisoners, yet here is this _thing_, parading freely in our home wearing one of mother's dresses no less."

A man wearing a red mask turned to look at him. "Sasuke, my dear boy. It's all about the plan. She was seen useful to advance our goals so she was kept alive." The man patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Now stop being a stubborn child and show our guest to her chambers."

Sasuke glared at his uncle as the man made his way back to a group of older men. His uncle stopped half way to face Sasuke one last time. The boy took that as a sign that he was dismissed.

His scowl deepened and he stalked out of the room.

The man had something up his sleeve, he could sense it. He hadn't been the same after his lover passed. He didn't even like to be called by his nickname anymore. The strangest part is that his uncle had enjoyed Sasuke's company in the past, now the man brushed him off and instead, he spent hours with the grandfather Madara.

The grandfather Madara was a suspicious character. He hadn't personally spoken to him, but he heard plenty from his eldest brother. It seemed Madara favored Itachi and confided in his brother while at the same time, Itachi told Sasuke whatever he could about Madara. Itachi never stated it out right but it was implied that the war was of Madara's fabrication. To Itachi and himself, Madara could not be trusted.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that it took him a moment to notice the soft piter-patter of feet following closely behind him. He spun around to face what he knew was following him.

"What do you want." He growled with the intention of scaring the girl. It surprised him for a moment that the girl seemed unafraid, even indifferent to his murderous aura.

"Lord Obito, instructed that I am to be under your care. I am Haruno Sakura," she said with a deep bow.

"I don't care what my uncle said, I have no intention of being your guardian."

He started walking at a quicker pace but as his steps gained speed, the soft footfalls stayed right behind him.

He whirled around to face her again. "What do you not understand! I do not want you near me!"

She ignored his outburst and pointed at something passed him. "Will that be where I'll be staying?"

He humored her and turned to look. It was the garden with the sakura tree in the middle of the courtyard. His mother's garden and her beloved tree.

The girl didn't wait for his answer. She went ahead of Sasuke toward a golden door. She pushed it but it wouldn't budge.

"If you wish to catch your death by sleeping outside, be my guest."

"It's locked."

"Only my mother has the key to that garden. Only she can open it."

"Can't you?" She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Did you not hear what I said? Only my mother has the key." Her eyes grew bigger and shinier. He growled and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a golden key. "Silly woman. You are lucky my mother gave me the key to hold while she was away." He pushed the key into the lock and pushed the door open.

He watched the girl quickly sprint into the garden, his mother's long silky gown fluttering behind her.

"She's a pretty little thing, isn't she, Sasuke?" A voice asked from behind him.

"Mother?" He turned sharply toward the woman. She was a beautiful lady with long, black hair and pale white skin. Many had told him that he was her splitting image. "I thought you were visiting your sister in the west?"

The woman smiled, still watching the pink, little fairy explore her garden. "I changed my mind and good thing, too. I was able to welcome our newest addition to the household."

They both watched the girl walk from flower to flower. She did something to that garden. It was as if the garden glowed in her presence. The air was sweeter, the flowers healthier, the grass greener.

"I hope we can become well acquainted with the girl. She deserves to be treated with care." His mother smiled when a butterfly landed on the girl's nose.

"I've always wanted a daughter."

* * *

><p><em>Present. . .<em>

"If you wanted my attention, you could have just asked instead of sending your rats after me."

A tall man with messy blond hair stepped through the bushes toward him. On his face were a perfectly sized mouth, nose and two big eyes the color of a clear blue sky with three whisker marks on each of his cheeks. His tanned body had the features of a well-developed, handsome male yet his choice of outlandish, orange clothing told he held a boyish, carefree attitude.

Sasuke ignored the other's presence, keeping his eyes on the embers of the dying fire.

The man frowned at the lack of interest. "Seriously, did you have to send a Hyuga? You know my history with that clan."

His dull black eyes stared at the dim reds and yellows in the wood that once burned brightly. "The Hyugas are still loyal to the Uchiha clan. Whether or not you have any discord with them isn't my problem."

The blond man gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. "You jackass. You didn't just send any Hyuga. You sent her cousin! You know what he would have done if he found her in the state she's in?!"

"The boy has his reasons on following me willingly just like everyone else."

"Sasssuke." The blond man hissed. "Are you telling me you knew what he could be capable of doing from the beginning?!" He took a step toward the shadowed figure sitting near the dying flame. His stunning blue eyes glowed red with anger. "If he does something to her or our unborn child, I swear on the first Kyuubi that I'll find a way to crush that pathetic existence of yours you call a life." He finally lifted his dark gaze to met the red eyes glaring at him. There was a small spark of emotion in his eyes that surprised the blond man enough for the red in his eyes reside to blue.

"And? What happens when you kill me? She'll still be dead, you'll still be alone." The little emotion in his black eyes died as he returned to look at the embers. "It doesn't matter what happens because even if the Hyugas don't get to her, time will. She'll eventually grow old and die. Just like that child in her womb. And you will still be alone regardless in the end." The dim light of the fire and the moon reflect off his pale face, making him seem as if he was carved eternally perfect out of marble. "She is a human after all."

The other man sighed in defeat. He dragged his feet across the dirt and sat by Sasuke. "You don't have to remind me. It's things like us that make the fact that humans die quickly painfully obvious." There was a pause as the two of them watched the weakening embers.

"How do you do it?"

Blue eyes met black with curiosity. "How do I do what?"

Sasuke's piercing gaze born into the blond. "How do you live each day knowing it could be her last?" He watched the other man blow out some air and look up to the stars.

"I guess, I just don't think about it." The corners of Naruto's mouth titled slightly upwards as he stared at the many stars glittering in the sky. "I just want to focus on the now with her and not worry about the 'what if's' of tomorrow because it just like you said." He turned his glowing blue eyes to Sasuke. They were sparkling with acknowledgment and a hint of sadness. "She's human after all. What besides the present do they have?"

Sasuke said nothing but continued to stare at the embers.

There was a calm silence before the blond man slapped his hands on his knees, effectively lightening the mood. "Sooooooooo, I know you didn't go through all this trouble just so you could talk about me and my woman. Unless what you truly wished for is to hear of my love escapades."

He resisted the urge to growl.

The blond raised his hands in front of him defensively. "Alright, alright. I know that look. Geeze, after almost a century, you still can't take a joke."

"There was a rumor."

"So you heard of it."

His head snapped up to Naruto. "You knew? When were you planning on telling me?" He hissed at the blond man.

"I didn't want to get your hopes up. I wanted to make sure that the rumors weren't just rumors and that there was truth behind them."

"Well?" Sasuke waited impatiently for Naruto to continue.

"There may be some truth. In the a village on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, there is a small village where Hinata managed to sneak a view of a girl with pink hair-," he didn't get a chance finish before Sasuke disappeared from his side, "-and green eyes, but she said it was a girl with pale skin and that she was tall not short like. . ." Naruto paused when he noticed Sasuke was missing.

"Bastard?"

He glanced around the area.

"Hey, Sasuke!?"

He sighed in defeat and a small smile graced his lips. "No matter how many times you yelled at me that she wasn't coming back, deep down inside you always held onto hope, huh?"

_Please, God don't let him down._

* * *

><p>Day turned to night and it returned to day, through it all he never stopped running.<p>

He lept off rock after rock, not stopping even to check his footing. The mountain range he was crossing did nothing to slow him down. He never stumbled, he never fell, he was cursed with utter perfection, complete grace, everlasting beauty.

That was the product of her death.

Perfection in exchange for her life. And he hated every bone in his body for it. If he could take it back, he would.

A rock rolled under his foot yet he never lost his balance.

The village was near, he could feel the pulse of human lives gathered in a singular spot surrounded by the essence of nature.

It was truly isolated.

He jumped from a high ridge and landed perfectly with his knees slightly bent. Right on the horizon was the silhouette of the village. His borrowed heart thumped loudly for the first time since Naruto mentioned a pink-haired girl. He could feel something familiar radiating from that tiny village that he hadn't felt in decades.

He sprinted forward, becoming a black blur because of his inhuman speed.

* * *

><p>She felt the pain before she heard the crying scream of a baby. It was coming from the most recent newborn of the village, the baby she had helped deliver. It was a healthy baby girl that had caught a simple cold. For a grown adult, it was simple, for a newborn it was deadly.<p>

"Sakura!" A middle-aged woman holding a crying bundle in her arms stepped through her open door. Her husband followed closely behind her appearing as if he hadn't slept a minute. "My baby hasn't slept all night! She spent it crying! I can't bare to see her like this!" The woman looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.

She smiled in understanding and mentioned to her chairs. "Take a seat." She stood up and her simple brown dress fell until it touched her ankles. "Allow me to see her." The woman opened the bundle and Sakura saw a pretty baby girl with teary brown eyes. The girl gazed up at her and her heart wrenched. "Shhh, child." She placed a pale hand on the baby's forehead, covering her eyes. "Heal." Her hand glowed a soothing green for a moment before the light was gone.

The baby stopped its crying and it was silent in the room as the parents took in what had just happened.

"S- Sakura?" The mother was the first to speak. She looked down at her baby who was now sleeping. "Is she alright?"

Sakura nodded with a smile. "She's fine."

"Thank the God! And thank you, healer!" The mother quickly stood to embrace the younger woman. "You don't know the length of my gratitude!"

Sakura gently returned the hug while being mindful of the creature in the woman's arms. "Careful, you'll wake her."

The husband came to her. "Many thanks, healer. We are indebted to you." He bowed slightly to her.

She smiled. "The only thing you need to do is raise a healthy child."

She walked them to the door where they said their final words of gratitude before leaving. She watched the couple walking away. There was no longer any pain around them.

This was her life: healing the pains of others.

Her sole purpose was to heal and while she was able to, she would do it. There was nothing in this world that she needed or wanted.

She placed a hand on her chest.

If that was true, then why did she want to find the answer to this mystery?

The mystery of not having a beating heart like everyone else.

Her touch was warm, there was color in her skin, her blood was still being circulated through her body, which went against all knowledge of medical science. She couldn't have any of this without a beating heart.

How was it possible?

Why didn't her heart beat?

She looked at her small field rich with the product of her labor. Colorful fruits and vividly green vegetables and around the boarder of her field were tall sunflowers. All the villagers praised her garden as the most beautiful in the village.

"Sakura!" A voice she knew perfectly well drew her attention.

"Karin!" She saw the figure of a red haired girl running towards her with a straw basket in her hand. Sakura grinned as she watch Karin come closer. When she had first came to the village, no one accepted her except for Karin. She owed Karin so much for her kindness.

"Do you want to go wild flower picking?" The girl stood in front of Sakura, smiling brightly. "They're for the festival. My mother wants to add some 'color' to her main table."

"Sure. just let me get my basket." She made a move to enter her home but Karin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Na, it's alright. We could just use mine."

Sakura nodded. "Okay. Let's get going."

* * *

><p>He had only been in the village for two minutes before some red haired woman spotted him and offered her help. He sensed the woman's attraction toward his beauty and was disgusted, more so when the girl began to lust after him. The child was way over her head if she believed he would succumb to her charms. He had pushed forward, ignoring the woman but the creature refused to allow him to continue on alone, so he opted in asking her if there was anyone in the village with pink hair. The woman quieted down and promptly left with a quick 'excuse me'. It was strange but he was alone again and that was all that mattered.<p>

As he passed homes, the people in them would peek out their windows to see him. The people on the street outright stared at him as if he was otherworldly, which wasn't too far off.

He reached the center of the village quicker than he imagined. There he stood glancing in all directions in order to find a particular shade of hair color. The thumping of his heart grew louder as the area to search grew smaller and he still hadn't found that pink-haired girl. His feet carried him along the path he believed was more promising. His dark eyes searched and searched but he never saw what he was searching for.

His heart sank with despair.

This had been the only lead he had in fifty years and it had proven to be false. Naruto had told him, he had told him that his expecting wife had seen a pink-haired girl around this village so why hadn't he seen her?

He came to the last home on the edge of the village. It was a modest structure, much smaller than the rest. Passed the house, he could see a colorful garden of flowers, fruit and vegetables. Something about the aura of the garden drew him toward the plants. He stopped at the sunflower boarder. A strange urge to brush his hand against the bright yellow petals ran through him as he stared at the large flowers. What was it about this garden that fascinated him?

He heard a shriek followed by bubbling laughter. A flash of red in the distance caught his attention. He studied it and realized it was the woman that he had met during his entrance in the village. The woman was running away from someone. Someone with-

His eyes grew wide and he felt his heart clench painfully in his chest.

_Pink hair._

He shut his eyes, praying that his mind wasn't playing a nasty trick on him.

He opened them again.

No, his mind wasn't lying to him. There she was, a girl with pink hair, the only one he had seen since _she_ lived many, many years ago. He was running toward her before he could stop himself. His heart was beating erratically, unlike anything he had ever experienced. His family was gone, his brother was gone, she had been gone as well but she was the only one that he still had a chance of seeing again. And here she was, laughing and playing as if her horrible past didn't haunt her.

"Sa. . . kura."

He suddenly realized that he was standing just a few feet away from her, staring at her, watching her laugh.

The girl noticed him and smiled. "Yes?"

Something squeezed his heart tighter. He couldn't believe it.

"Sakura?"

Her stunning green eyes held his dark gaze. That familiar shade he thought he would never see again. She must be a dream, life could not be giving him what he had wanted. He was an Uchiha. Uchihas never received the happier slice of life, so she must not be real.

"Yes?"

He came closer to her, never blinking and fearing that if he did she would disappear again.

"Sakura?" He watched as confusion colored her green eyes.

"I am her. What may I help you with?"

She was real and she was really standing in front of him. He fought the desire to embrace her and vaguely wondered why she hadn't rushed to him.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Um, I'm sorry, but have we met?"

His heart gave a violent clench and he saw her flinch. She didn't remember him? After everything they went through, all the suffering, she had no memory of him. Perhaps this woman wasn't the one his was looking for? "Your name, your complete name. Is it Haruno Sakura?"

"Yes, how have you heard of me?" She placed a hand on her chest. Her expression was weird. It was a mixture of surprise and pain.

He opened his mouth but he could say no words.

She gazed at him curiously. "Are you visiting us for the Spruce Festival? Perhaps my name was mentioned because I am the one in charge of the storytelling?"

"I- I am here for the festival. I heard of it and decided to see what it was about." His heart sank as he resigned himself to the painful truth: she had forgotten him. She had returned to him but her memories of their time together were gone.

"You are a few days early but I'm sure the villagers can keep you busy," she said with a smile.

He basked in the glow of the smile he had missed for so long.

That was when he decided.

He would earn her heart again.

Even if she remembers him or not, he would make sure that in this life, they would have the happy ending they both deserved.


End file.
